Bristol and Levi Announce Their Engagement

Bristol and Levi Announce Their Engagement

"We are meant to be together," Newly-engaged Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston tell Us Weekly magazine.

The pair made the shocking announcement that they're getting married on the cover of the latest issue of Us Weekly.

"She wants to really be a family with Levi and with Tripp, for a long time she's been a single parent and she hasn't really had that support," says Us Weekly Executive Editor Caroline Schaefer.

Bristol says they secretly got engaged two weeks ago, when Levi covered her bed with rose petals and got down on one knee. "It felt right, even though we don't have the approval of our parents."

"Levi told us that he didn't ask Todd Palin for Bristol's hand and he expects that if he had, Todd would have said no," Schaefer tells INSIDE EDITION.

Bristol says that her even mom, Sarah Palin, didn't know that they're planning to get married until just a few hours ago.

"Did Sarah Palin really find out along with the rest of the world?" INSIDE EDITION's Diane McInerney asks.

"Yes, Sarah Palin found out this morning," Schaefer confirms.

After hearing the news the Palins, who are on vacation and about to climb Mt. McKinley in Alaska, released a statement:

"Bristol at 19 is now a young adult. We obviously want what's best for our children. Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice in our daily lives."

The Palins aren't the only ones who may be less than thrilled by Bristol and Levi's engagement. Levi's sister, Mercede Johnston, says Levi threatened to never speak to her again unless she took down her blog that bashes the Palins.

Mercede writes on her blog: "For him to allow Bristol to control him and then threaten not to talk to me again is devastating to me. Not only is he being controlled like a puppet, but saying all of his comments and stories were lies is absurd."

Last week Levi made a very public apology to the Palins for telling lies about them last year.

"That was the old me," Levi tells Us Weekly. "I'm never going to say anything bad about [Bristol] or her family. And I will never leave her."

The couple has already begun planning details of their dream wedding. They want to have an outdoor wedding in Alaska in the next four to six weeks. It will be a traditional ceremony and Bristol wants a milk chocolate fountain at the reception. She also says she wants Levi to wear a camouflage vest under his suit.

As for her bridal gown, Bristol hopes to wear the white version of a red Carolina Herrera one-shoulder gown that she donned for a Harper's Bazaar photo shoot.

"Bristol tells us that she's not pregnant, she expects people will think that because she got engaged and she plans to get married so quickly, but she says no."

In fact, the parents of 18-month-old Tripp say they will practice abstinence until they say "I do."

Levi, who dropped out of high school, says he plans to get his GED and train to become an electrician.